After a neck-and-neck fourth quarter, the Oklahoma City Thunder just narrowly managed to get past the Golden State Warriors on the road.
Oklahoma City had jumped out of the gates with a 39-23 after the first quarter, but Golden State quickly battled back to bring it within double digits. Ultimately, the Thunder reigned supreme in a final score of 105-101.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City with 35 points, nine rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block on 13-of-28 shooting from the field. The guard struggled with 3-of-12 shooting from 3-point range, but he was able to push the pace offensively in other areas to give him the edge over the Warriors.
Without Stephen Curry, the Golden State offense plummeted — shooting nearly 36% from the field and 32% from behind the arc.
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Here are three takeaways from the Thunder’s four-point victory:
Even though Oklahoma City left Chase Center with a win, struggles from the free-throw line kept it far closer than it needed to be.
The Thunder made just 16 of their 26 free throw attempts, good for a measly 61.5%. Gilgeous-Alexander shot an uncharacteristically poor 6-of-10, while Jalen Williams didn’t fare much better with 5-of-8.
One of those misses came with seven seconds remaining in the game, where Gilgeous-Alexander missed his first of two attempts after a foul from Buddy Hield. However, he knocked down his following three attempts to secure the win for Oklahoma City.
Shooting anywhere near 60% shooting on free throws is less than ideal though, regardless of the outcome being in the Thunder’s favor. It’ll be an area it wants to clean up before it goes against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
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Between the free throws and a 11-of-37 — or 29.7% — finish from the 3-point arc, it was a win that’s ugly as they come for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder struggled to find offense against a depleted Warriors squad without Curry, which on paper, it should’ve had an easier time going up against. Golden State was led by Jonathan Kuminga’s 19 points on 8-of-21 shooting, and Andrew Wiggins also struggled with 16 points on 4-of-16 shooting.
It was undoubtedly a strong defensive effort for Oklahoma City, especially in regards to Isaiah Hartenstein and Luguentz Dort. As a whole, it finished with 10 steals and nine blocks on the night — adding to its high number of stocks throughout the season.
On offense, the Thunder did leave a lot to be desired, but it’ll take any win it can get in a tough Western Conference. After Wednesday night, it remains in the No. 1 seed with a one-game advantage on the Houston Rockets.
It seems that Oklahoma City can’t escape the injury bug this season, and it tends to happen against the Warriors.
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Just a couple of weeks ago, Chet Holmgren awkwardly landed on his hip after making contact with Wiggins, leaving him with a hip fracture that will keep him out for most of the year. After last night’s win, Williams suffered a similar fate.
Kuminga went up for a slam dunk at the end of the first half, and Williams decided to challenge. However, Kuminga’s hand went right into his face on the play, causing a right eye injury that ruled him out for the rest of the game.
It’s unclear how serious the injury is nor how long it will leave him out of action, but it’s yet another blow that the Thunder has dealt with in that department. It still left with a victory in its hands, but if Williams would have played the entirety of the game, the outcome could’ve been much simpler.
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NORMAN, Okla. — Derrion Reed scored 22 points, Xzayvier Brown finished with 18, and Oklahoma set the program’s single-game record for field-goal percentage on Monday night as the Sooners beat Stetson 107-54 on Monday night.
Oklahoma shot 67.8% (40 of 59) from the field and had its highest-scoring game since a 107-86 win over Arkansan-Pine Bluff on Nov. 30, 2023. The previous record was 66.1% (39 of 59) against Baylor on Feb. 26, 2005.
The Sooners made 12 of 24 from 3-point range, outrebounded Stetson 39-24, and outscored the Hatters 54-18 in the paint.
Mohamed Wague had 15 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma and Tae Davis added 12 points and six assists. Kuol Atak and Nijel Pack each scored 11 points.
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Ethan Copeland, the only Stetson (4-9) player who scored in double figures, had 14 points.
Oklahoma (9-3) used runs of 15-3 and 10-2, the latter of which culminated with a Jadon Jones three-point play that gave the Sooners a 26-11 lead a little more than eight minutes into the game.
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Stetson plays at North Alabama in the ASUN Conference opener for both teams on New Year’s Day.
Oklahoma hosts Mississippi Valley State next Monday.
2026 NCAA football transfer portal: Tracking moves for Texas Tech, SMU, other area schools
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As NFL draft decision looms, Oklahoma’s John Mateer will weigh his options
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With Alabama on the ropes, Oklahoma squandered golden opportunity to end CFP drought
The Sooners tied their own record for the largest blown lead in College Football Playoff history.
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Find more college sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Another offensive lineman from Oklahoma’s heralded 2024 group of freshman has decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Third-year sophomore tackle Isaiah Autry-Dent announced Monday on social media that he’ll be entering the portal when it opens on Jan. 2.
“I’m truly grateful for the incredible, life-changing experience I’ve had at the University of Oklahoma,” he wrote. “The dedication of the staff, the camaraderie with my teammates, and the unwavering support from the fans have made this journey unforgettable. I’ve learned lessons on and off the field that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and I’m thankful for every moment, every challenge and every triumph along the way.”
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Dent added that he’s “given it a great deal of thought and prayed for guidance” but intends to leave OU with 3-4 years of eligibility remaining and is “excited about exploring new opportunities to continue growing as a player and as a person.”
After much prayer and family talks, I’ll enter the transfer portal on January 2 with three years of eligibility left. Thank you #SoonerNationpic.twitter.com/AM15EMHlHV
Dent was one of five offensive linemen signed in the 2024 class, and he’s the third one to leave, joining Eugene Brooks and Josh Aisosa. After just two seasons, only Eddy Pierre-Louis and Daniel Akinkunmi remain.
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Dent was listed at 304 pounds as a true freshman but in July checked in at 317 pounds — the biggest overall weight gain of any offensive player, which was a reflection of his hard work and dedication as the OU offensive line made an offseason mandate to get bigger and stronger.
Last spring, senior center Troy Everett was asked to assess Dent’s progress following his freshman season.
“Isaiah works hard,” Everett said. “Isaiah’s going to be great. Isaiah, right now, he’s just got to get comfortable when he’s out there, but that goes for every young guy.”
Read More Transfer Portal News
OU Transfer Portal Tracker Oklahoma LB to Enter Portal What Positions Must Oklahoma Address in the Portal?
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Dent played in just one game — against Maine — and logged just 26 snaps on offense and nine snaps on special teams during the 2024 season, then didn’t get on the field at all in 2025.
The former 3-star prospect from Fulton, MS, is a second cousin to former OU running back Marcus Dupree. His mother, Pashen Dent-Autry, was a two-time national champion basketball player for Tennessee legend Pat Summitt.
Autry was a consensus 3-star prospect coming out as a high school All-American at Itawamba Agricultural High School, where he was a 6-foot-7, 300-pound standout.
Autry picked the Sooners over Alabama, Auburn, Florida State and Ole Miss, among others, and could have plenty of options.
The postseason is unique in that way, no matter the sport. It can have a cleansing effect, providing a clean slate.
Maybe that’s what is happening with Alabama. I stand by my column the weekend the College Football Playoff pairings were announced, that Notre Dame deserved a spot over the Crimson Tide, that how a team finishes should matter. Alabama hadn’t been very good to close the regular season. It nearly lost to mediocre SEC opponents South Carolina, LSU and Auburn, fell to Oklahoma and was crushed by Georgia in the SEC championship game.
